1892 Prout and Burnham City Plan or Map of Wheaton, Illinois

Created as a promotional piece to entice city dwellers to move to Wheaton, this rare 1892 Charles A. Prout and Graham Burnham city plan or map of Wheaton, Illinois, is divided into lots, with numerous different 'additions' identified. Depicting the city from Carleton Avenue (modern-day N. Carlton Street) to President Street and from Prairie Avenue to the Chicago and Batavia Road (modern-day Roosevelt Road), streets throughout town are illustrated and labeled. Profile sketches of Wheaton College, the Court House, the schoolhouse, and both train depots are included, as are small pictorial icons marking the sites of the city's churches. The Chicago and Northwestern Railway arcs across town, splitting the town in half. Profile illustrations of Adam's Memorial Library and Central Block are situated around the map.

A Real Estate Map - Let's Buy a Lot

The 'additions' referenced above were likely large tracts of land owned by wealthy individuals, such as Noah Gary, Elbert Gary, and Thomas Lewis, who entered into an agreement with the city to sell their land and have it divided into lots. Individual landowners are identified throughout town, all the way from those that owned small lots to people that owned entire city blocks or more. Unowned lots are numbered, and the dimensions of each lot are provided. Only official 'additions' have been subdivided, while large tracts are still shown as large blank areas bearing only the owner's name.

Publication History and Census

This map was created and published by Charles A Prout and Graham Burnham in 1892. Maps like this were made by subscription, often in very small quantities. As far as our research can determine, this is the only surviving example.